Royal Commission prompts spike in people searching for ID documents

PETER LLOYD: The Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has led to a spike in the number of people who were raised in institutions trying to locate their birth certificates and other identity documents.

But the Alliance for Forgotten Australians warns those searches are usually long, frustrating and often reveal upsetting details.

And it says more than 100 people have been unable to track down basic proof of their birth, which can lead to considerable problems in proving identity.

Samantha Donovan reports.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Caroline Carroll was put into care in New South Wales when she was a 14-month-old baby.

She ended up in living in five institutions and six foster homes, and reached adulthood without ever having seen her birth certificate.

CAROLINE CARROLL: When I got married, I had a piece of paper from the Department of Child Welfare in New South Wales that said, as far as our records are concerned, she is who she says she is. You know, you can't do that today. No one would accept that and I made up my mother's maiden name because I didn't know who she was.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Caroline Carroll is now the chairwoman of the Alliance for Forgotten Australians. It raises awareness of the issues facing people who grew up in institutions.

Ms Carroll says the Royal Commission into child abuse is giving many people the courage to search for the basic details of the families they never knew.

But she says the hunt for identity documents can be difficult.

CAROLINE CARROLL: You know, when people were put into institutions and orphanages they often had their name changed simply because we already have a Mary Brown here. You can be, you know, whoever, Patricia Green or whatever.

So people grew up thinking I'm Patricia Green and then, when they tried to get documentation there is no such record. So, you know, you've got to right back and try and you know, begin at the beginning.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Is it the responsibility now of state governments to help people access those documents or the organisations that were running the care homes?

CAROLINE CARROLL: Definitely both. You know, if people were made wards of the state, they usually get a record of some sort. It doesn't often tell them what they're looking for like why was I put into care, where are my family today, but there is often a record whereas, when people were put into church or charities, there was no policy around keeping records so that many just didn't and a lot of our people get, if they're lucky, an entry date in a book, in a registration book, a photocopy of that page and a date when they leave, if they're lucky. Some get nothing at all.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Are some organisations more committed or more helpful to people than others?

CAROLINE CARROLL: Yes, yes, definitely. You know and I have to say in Victoria we work very closely with past providers and on the whole they've been, you know, as helpful as they possibly can.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: A service called "Find and Connect" operates in each state and territory to help people who grew up in institutions find their documents.

Caroline Carroll says she knows about 140 Australians who have been unable to find any trace of their most basic documents.

Ms Carroll says when people do get their documents the information revealed can be very upsetting.

CAROLINE CARROLL: Get records that say it's your fault or you're retarded. I mean the amount of people, dull-witted or ugly and not suitable for adoption. I mean the things that people wrote on children's records were just criminal - manipulative and cunning is what was on my record so I must have been pretty smart at 14-months-old, but then on the next page it said I was pretty stupid so you know, I'm a bit confused about what I was.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Victorian Government is said to have documents on children who grew up in state run homes alone that would stretch for 80 kilometres.

The Victorian Department of Human Services told The World Today its indexed more than 85,000 boxes of archived records in preparation for the Royal Commission and itís committed to continuing that work.

Caroline Carroll says all state governments seem to have been more helpful since the Find and Connect Service was launched.

CAROLINE CARROLL: We've got a long way to go. You know, there's no legislation around us so we don't have the rights to get my parents birth certificates and marriage certificates unless I can prove they're dead. And then we're not often named in, you know, I'm not named on my parents death certificate so then we go back to square one.

So we need legislation or at least some sort of MOU (memorandum of understanding) with births, deaths and marriages to say this is a special case.

PETER LLOYD: Caroline Carroll is from the Alliance for Forgotten Australians. Samantha Donovan, the reporter.